The present invention concerns a retroreflector for wheels with spokes, in particular the spoked wheels of bicycles, but also of tricycles, wheelchairs or other vehicles with spoked wheels.
Different types of retroreflectors are available on the market, some retroreflectors being fixed to the frame of the bicycle, typically at the rear or in front, or on the bicycle pedals, or fixed onto the spokes of the bicycle wheels.
Retroreflectors fixed to the frame do not always offer sufficient visibility owing to their small size and static position relative to the bicycle frame. Moving retroreflectors, such as those on bicycle pedals or wheels, generate a moving reflection which is seen more easily and quickly by other road users, and from longer distances. A retroreflector which moves in relation to the frame of a bicycle or vehicle under consideration offers a reflected surface which sweeps across the light source and is reflected in different directions, thereby generating a signal of variable intensity that is better seen by road users.
One of the problems with retroreflectors fixed to the pedals, however, is that they may be partly or fully hidden by the cyclist's shoes or, when the cyclist is going downhill or stops pedalling, they no longer offer the advantage of a moving reflective surface. For retroreflectors fixed to the wheels, the reflective surface is placed parallel to the general plane of the surface defined by the wheel spokes, which makes these retroreflectors highly visible on the sides of the bicycle or vehicle but they are not or only scarcely visible for persons positioned in the line of travel of the bicycle coming from the opposite direction to the bicycle or from behind the bicycle.
There is a need to improve the safety of road users under conditions of reduced visibility, at night, in the fog or when it is raining.